Dear Parents/Carers,

Yesterday we celebrated Mass as a whole school for the first time in twelve months. Held under the COLA, it was a wonderful way to bring in the new school year. As Fr John reminded the children, celebrating Mass is a significant aspect of being in a Catholic school. By choosing to be a part of our school, your family is automatically a part of the St John's Parish, and so I encourage you to attend Mass with your children as regularly as you can. This will help your children see the connection you have to the parish as well as highlighting the importance of the Mass and how it can strengthen their connection to Jesus.

Today, Ash Wednesday, marks the beginning of the season of Lent. As Christians, we use this time of forty days to reflect and prepare for Easter. It is generally seen as a time of solemn observance, giving us an opportunity to take stock of our own lives and to consider how we can help others. Three actions are asked of us during this time: to pray (for ourselves and others); to make a sacrifice (giving something up that we know we can do without); and to give to those in need. Sometimes we get caught up in the 'rules' of Lent (eg giving up eating meat), however if we focus on the parts of our life in which we know we can improve - a little bit like a new year's resolution - then we can enter into the season of Easter with a renewed spirit. 

Parent-School Partnership Framework

This week I would like to highlight the third of the Principles of the Parent-School Partnership Framework - "Supportive Environment." This principle focuses on creating a safe, supportive and respectful school environment. To succeed in this area, it is incumbent on all of us to ensure we adhere to relevant policies and procedures which help to uphold the privacy, safety and well-being of all. This includes in the social media space and I refer you to the Diocesan Social Media Statement and Standards. 

It has been wonderful to see so many parents and carers take the opportunity to meet their child's teacher during this week. Hopefully these meetings enabled you to establish a positive relationship so that, together, you can support your child's well-being and learning. Please remember that you do not need to wait until we schedule such meetings. Our teachers are more than willing to meet with you at other times during the year. Just contact the office to arrange a suitable time.

Wishing you a safe week,

Paul Moroney
Principal

Happy Birthday to the following students and staff who are celebrating their birthday this week and during the holidays, 14th February - 20th February

Week 5 Uniform Focus

Next week our uniform focus will be on jewelry.  Our Uniform Policy states: 

• Students may wear one pair of plain silver or gold sleepers (less than 1cm) or plain silver of gold studs.
• No make up is to be worn, including lip gloss.  Lip balm may be worn for dry lips.
• No nail polish, acrylic nails, SNS or Shellac.
• No rings or bracelets are to be worn.
• Religious medals, on a thin chain, may be worn under the school shirt.

Every student who is complying with this part of the policy will receive a token for their house.

Congratulations to all our award recipients this week

KB - Nate A 

1B - Jayden K

2B - Amelia A

3B - Marcus A

4B - Harry W

5B - Lila B

6B - Ella D

K-6B - Jiya P

Just a reminder to not bring any Nut products to school, 

as we have a number of children with serious Nut allergies

SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNTS - IMPORTANT INFORMATION –

2021 SCHOOL FEES

Dear Parents/Carers
We would like to advise you of the following important information in relation to school fees and the
continuing rollout of new administrative systems across our schools. Currently all primary schools and
two secondary schools, Corpus Christi Oak Flats and Holy Spirit Bellambi have been transferred to the
package which includes Compass and Technology One. This has provided the Catholic Education Office
with the ability to perform centralised functions relating to school fee accounts on behalf of these
schools only. All other schools have commenced and will complete transition before the end of 2021.

WHAT CENTRALISATION OF FUNCTIONS MEANS FOR FAMILIES
The invoicing of school fees and the distribution of school fee statements each month is now a function
carried out by the Catholic Education Office. Payment of fees, whether as an annual payment or
payment by instalments is due on the date/s provided on your school fee statement. Commencing in
2021, the issue of reminders for late payment via SMS and email will be introduced for schools on the
new system. These reminders are automatically generated by the software based on the number of days
a payment is overdue. For those families that may have difficulty in paying their school fees, these
reminders may cause some concern. This is not our intention. Our intention is to manage the collection
of school fee accounts with new technology and in so doing, alleviate some of the administrative work
of our schools.

YOUR SCHOOL FEE ACCOUNT ENQUIRIES
Please note, despite the centralisation of various functions, your school/s will always be your point of
contact for matters pertaining to fees. If you wish to discuss your school fee account, please contact
your school office. The role of the Catholic Education Office is to action centralised tasks on behalf of
schools.
IF YOU WISH TO PAY BY INSTALMENTS
Many families have already elected to pay their school fees by instalments. If you wish to avail yourself
of this option please complete a Request to Pay by Instalment Form which is available on your school’s
website or at your school’s office. On completion of the request either email it to or submit at your
school’s office. Following receipt of the request, instalments will be generated on your account and a
schedule of payments and due dates will be provided on your next school fee statement. Please note it
is only necessary to complete this form once during the period of child/children’s enrolment, unless you
wish to amend your payment frequency.
Please note that if you elect to NOT pay your fees by instalments and complete the form on the
website your full fee amount becomes due on 28 FEB, 2021

DIFFICULTY WITH PAYMENT

If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we encourage you to contact the school in which your
child/children are enrolled to discuss an arrangement that will assist you meet your commitments. This
may include the completion of a Diocesan Application for Fee Concession which is available from the

administration office of each school. Be reassured that your situation will be treated with strict
confidentiality and respect for your circumstances. For those families that received a COVID19 Fee
Concession in 2020, you will have received an email in January, 2021 regarding the review of your
account in February, 2021 and providing options for your 2021 school fees. For further information
regarding school fees, please access the Diocesan School Fee Management Policy and Frequently Asked Questions which is available on your school’s website.

Notice of P&F Annual General Meeting

Please note that the AGM Agenda is open. Please email any agenda items to pandf@sjctdow.catholic.edu.au by Wednesday 17th February 5pm.

AGM Details:

Date: Tuesday 23rd February 2020

Time: 7:00pm

Location: Tiered Learning Space (near Kindy and Year 1 classes)

All Executive positions will be made vacant and an election held for new office-bearers. The Nomination form and role descriptions follow. All are welcome to attend. We hope to see you there and look forward to meeting new parents of the school. Please contact us if you require any further information

Just a reminder that due to Covid restrictions Children are unable to bring in any type of food/gifts for sharing with their class. There is the option of purchasing Zooper Doopers from the canteen, These are now available to purchase through Flexischools or you can order and pay at the front office.

Thank you for your understanding with this matter

If your child is away from school it is important to let the school know as soon as possible with a specific reason, e.g. what type of illness they have, If you are filling in a note on the Compass app, please add an explanation in the details/comments box .

Do not enter into compass if they are going to be late or leave early, that needs to be done from the school end.

It is really important to keep your child at home if they are unwell, this will help with the spread of illness. In the current COVID 19 climate ,if you child displays cold/flu symptoms you will need to get a medical clearance for your child to return to school 

If your child has a covid test, please notify the school when they have the test and as soon as you get your results please forward these on to the school.

Due to COVID restrictions parents are currently not allowed on school grounds. We also need to limit the amount of visitors that come into the office, so please only come into the office if necessary.

  It is important that you let the office know as soon as possible, via email or phone, if you are picking your child up prior to dismissal (including time).  We can then arrange to have them in the office ready for you.

Please note we are unable to arrange collection of your children during break times (11.15am-12 & 1.15pm-2pm) without prior notice. Please do not enter late arrivals or early departures into compass, this needs to be done by the school office.

Thank you for your assistance with this matter.